heathen

[ hee-thuhn ]

noun

, plural hea·thens, hea·then.

1. (in historical contexts) a member of a people that do not acknowledge the God of the Bible; a pagan.
2. Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.
   1. a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.
   2. an irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized person.

adjective

1. (in historical contexts) of or relating to heathens; pagan.
2. Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.
   1. relating to a religion, person, or culture that is not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim.
   2. irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized.

heathen

/ ˈhiːðən /

noun

1. a person who does not acknowledge the God of Christianity, Judaism, or Islam; pagan
2. an uncivilized or barbaric person
3. the heathen
   functioning as plural heathens collectively

adjective

1. irreligious; pagan
2. unenlightened; uncivilized; barbaric
3. of or relating to heathen peoples or their religious, moral, and other customs, practices, and beliefs

Derived Forms

• ˈheathenism, noun
• ˈheathenness, noun

Other Words From

• hea·then·dom noun
• hea·then·hood noun
• hea·then·ness noun
• hea·then·ship noun
• half-hea·then adjective noun
• non·hea·then noun plural nonheathens nonheathen adjective
• un·hea·then adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of heathen¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English hethen, Old English hǣthen, akin to German Heide, heidnisch (adjective), Old Norse heithingi (noun), heithinn (adjective), Gothic haithno (noun); perhaps akin to heath

Word History and Origins

Origin of heathen¹

Old English hǣthen; related to Old Norse heithinn, Old Frisian hēthin, Old High German heidan

Synonym Study

See pagan.

Example Sentences

In “The New World and the Changing Face of Europe,” Elliott Horowitz advances the idea that European men sought to distance themselves from the heathen other, which in medieval times was associated with typically bearded Jews and Turks.

From Salon

The view that beards on women were a rare exception sometimes reinforced the stature of those women, who in the case of Saint Wilgefortis was said to receive her hair as a miraculous gift from God, escaping a forced marriage to a heathen only to then be crucified by her father in imitation of Christ.

From Salon

And while the churchyard of St Wystan’s Church, in Repton, has witnessed centuries of history, these events may have taken place during a few, terrible, months in 873 AD at the hands of the Vikings under their infamous leader Ivar the Boneless and their most terrible iteration, the Great Heathen Army.

From BBC

The unusual event has been celebrated for centuries and is thought to have its roots in a heathen festival to celebrate the return of spring.

From BBC

Peter Kass’s “Time of the Heathen” is as much artifact as artwork.

From New York Times

Related Words

• ungodly